Public Meeting 23/8/2016

Jason McCartney MP joins Hade Edge Villagers to ‘Fight for the Fields’ – Residents campaign against proposed development of ‘Unsustainable’ new housing estate

Hade Edge residents, Council members and Jason McCartney MP came together at a public meeting in the village clubhouse last night to unite against the proposed development of a new housing estate in the heart of the village.

VIllagers stream to the Hade Edge village meeting 23rd August 2016

An outline planning application for the development of 66 new houses and a convenience store on Dunford Road was submitted to Kirklees Council by property developer Jones Homes in early August. Residents attending last nights’ meeting were clear that this is only the tip of the iceberg as far as they’re concerned – it’s apparent from the applications supporting documentation that, if approved, Jones Homes intend to develop up to 180 new houses in total, effectively doubling the size of the existing village.

Hade Edge residents last night slammed the planned development as ‘unsustainable, excessive and opportunistic’ in terms of its impact on the existing village, and vowed to fight the application through legal channels, as well as submitting mass individual objections to the council. Members of the Holme Valley Parish Council confirmed that they have voted unanimously to oppose the development.

A member of the ‘Hade Edge Fight For The Fields’ community action group told The Huddersfield Examiner, “It is clear that the Holme Valley South is under siege from opportunistic national property developers who have no stake in our communities or countryside. Hade Edge is the latest village to be targeted in a drive to maximise new ‘roof count’ despite the devastating impact on environment and infrastructure. As villagers, we’re not opposed to measured local development, but the overwhelming feeling here tonight is that what’s being proposed is excessive in scale, disproportionately increasing the size of the village – it’s unsustainable. This can only have a negative impact on Hade Edge, so our meeting tonight is a show of solidarity in opposition to this proposal – we will fight together to protect our fields”.

MP Jason McCartney added “This is exactly the kind of battle I’ve been involved in in our valley for the last few years, and I will work with and support the Hade Edge action group all the way on this. As in many other area across our region, either where development has already taken place or where there are new planning applications, the infrastructure just isn’t in place for wholesale mass development – it’s totally inappropriate. There are numerous sites better suited to development than here. We must fight to protect the beauty of our villages and to keep them special”.